I Want You to Want Me
by DramaGirl627
Summary: Set after "Matress". When Will realizes why he left Terri, how will he respond? And Finn and Rachel decide to ditch school and realize how they truly feel. Will/Emma Finn/Rachel
1. Everyone's Talking

As the members of Glee walked down the crowded hallways of McKinley High School one morning, a conversation was being brought up everywhere that had all the kids worried:

"Did you hear what happened to Mr. Schuester?"

Rachel was the one who looked at everyone walking beside her like they were crazy, wondering why no one was doing anything about it.

"Do you not care about Mr. Schuester at all?" she exclaimed once they all gathered in the chorus room, seeing no one else look worried. "What if something terrible happened? What if he got fired? What if he didn't have enough money to pay for Glee anymore? I'd better start saving my allowance!" She suddenly grabbed Finn and Santana by the arms. "We're going to have to pay our own way to fame. Teach ourselves. Choreograph our own numbers. But it'll be worth it once we reach the top!" She gasped, making everyone jump (and come out of their Rachel's-talking-let's-tune-her-out trances). "What if Mr. Schuester got in a freak motorboat accident and died??!!" But her rant was interrupted as Mr. Schuester walked into the room.

"Well, at least we know he hasn't died," Kurt said matter-of-factly, causing Rachel to glare at him.

Mr. Schuester took off his coat and hung it on the chair, staring at the kids. "People think I died?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Only Rachel," Artie explained. "She heard something happened and jumped to conclusions, as always."

"I find that rather offensive, Artie," Rachel said, crossing her arms. Artie rolled his eyes. "Just because I sometimes think of the worst case scenario and how to deal with it does not mean I jump to conclusions."

"Well, something did happen..." Mr. Schuester said.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you can talk to Ms. Pillsbury about it and she'll know what to do," Rachel said. "Because she, apparently, doesn't jump to conclusions like some other people that Artie thinks about. Also, Ms. Pillsbury is a guidance counselor, which I probably shouldn't be, considering I jump to conclusions and I would give all the kids bad advice because I would probably think that they were all either on drugs or pregnant and-"

"Rachel, calm down!" Mr. Schuester said, putting his hands on Rachel's shoulders to prevent her from hyperventilating. "Nothing horrible happened. But I do agree with Artie. You do occasionally jump to conclusions...Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but-" Mr. Schuester decided to stop before he dug himself into a hole he wouldn't be able to get out of. "Anyway," he continued. "something happened recently. I'm not sure if it's good or horrible, but I know it was for the better and all that..."

"So...what happened, Mr. Shue?" Finn asked warily.

"I got a divorce!"

glee

"A divorce?" Rachel exclaimed.

Mr. Schuester exhaled quickly and nodded. The room went silent while everyone tried to figure out if they should congratulate their teacher or apologize. Finally, Kurt was the one to break the silence.

"Look, I know everyone's thinking it," he said, straightening his sweater and matching scarf. He turned to Mr. Schuester. "What will happen to the baby?"

Mr. Schuester nodded again. "I was waiting for that." He was silent for a long time. "Nothing will happen to it, guys. Terri was never pregnant," he admitted with a sigh.

A loud thud sounded through the room as Rachel fell to the floor.

"Oh my God, Rachel!" Finn exclaimed as he easily picked Rachel up. "I'm taking her to the hospital!" he said, walking into the hallway. The rest of the kids followed.

"Finn," Quinn said. "The clinic's just around the corner."

"You would know, Prego," Sue's voice said, coming from the other direction. She looked at Rachel. "What happened to her? Did she find out one of her dads was actually straight?" Finn glared at Sue. If he wasn't holding Rachel, he would punch her. The kids kept walking, but Sue stepped in front of them. "Hey, losers. Where's that pansy you call a teacher? Because if he's with the redhead again, I'm reporting them for having relations during school hours." She took a sip of her protein shake. "And that could get them BOTH fired. So I suggest that you get back to class now and hire a search team to find Schuester or I'll report it to Principal Figgins. Ah, what the heck? I might just do it anyway." She pushed Artie out of the way, who rammed forcefully into the wall. Tina immediately went over to help him, but Finn pushed past the other kids and ran Rachel to the clinic. Sure, he felt bad about not helping them, but whether she liked it or not, Rachel was his first priority.


	2. Ten Seconds

Will casually walked into Emma's office and sat down to find her re-organizing her desk for the third time this week.

"Hi, Will," she said, smiling. He noticed how her eyes lit up when she saw him. "What brings you here during class?"

"Oh, um, Rachel fainted so all the kids are with her at the clinic now...I think."

"Oh my gosh, Will! What happened?" Emma asked, accidentally dropping the pencil that she was about to perfectly place. Will felt it roll into the front of his foot, but made no move to pick it up. He took a deep breath and placed his hand on hers, wondering if the spark was from the static charge he picked up in his shoes. She gasped a little and he could tell she was trying not to smile. He smiled for her.

"I told her the big news," he said.

"What big news, Will?" she asked, and Will could see her blushing.

"Emma, I got a divorce."

Emma removed her hand from under Will's. "What? Will, I don't understand. I thought you loved your wife." Emma realized that she didn't even know his wife's name. Not that it mattered anymore, she smiled to herself.

"I did. But her nagging finally got to me. She needs someone with a lot of money that can wait on her and buy her what she wants. I can't give that to her. I should have realized that a long time ago."

"Oh, well, that makes sense, I mean, from what I've heard from you, she seems pretty, well, you know, and, um, you're right, I don't think that, uh, that you're the right kind of person for her, Will. I mean, you're smart, funny, you're a great performer, and like I've said, you're on the, um, the top of the list of crush worthy teachers, so-"

"You really think that?"

"Yes, I have a list here if you want to see it." She reached in her desk and started to pull out a pink piece of paper, but quickly changed her mind. But not before Will saw his own name with a heart next to it labeled as number one. "But, um, that's probably not the best idea right now...so...um...what will happen to the baby, Will?" Will cleared his throat.

"Terri was never pregnant, Emma. That's what really sent me over the edge." His eyes began to water as he remembered the event. "I found a pregnancy pad while I was looking for my pocket square and...she...she admitted everything. She was faking it the whole time because she was worried I was drifting away." As Will let his tears fall, Emma cautiously walked around her desk and knelt down next to him, taking his hand in both of hers. He looked up at her touch, and Emma couldn't hide the pain she felt seeing him in tears. She hated that woman for making him cry like that.

"What am I going to do?" he cried. "I have no one to fall back on, I don't want to live at my apartment, I just-"

"Come stay with me, Will. At least until you've sorted everything out," she offered, smiling.

"You really mean that, Emma?" he said, astonished. "I don't want to be a burden for you. I mean, you don't even let Ken into your condo. Why would you want me? Besides, I'm not the cleanest person in the world."

Emma smiled and gently wiped away his tears with a tissue. "Because, Will, you're my friend. And that's what friends do, right? They don't worry about themselves when a friend needs help. And about your messes...I can handle ten seconds, remember?"

"Thank you, Emma," Will said warmly as he stood up; she stood as well. "For everything," he added, embracing her and realizing how perfectly she fit into his arms.


	3. Keep Her Heart Rate Down

This is soooooo freakishly short, I know. I was planning to go longer with this chapter, but then it would have been TOO long. Don't you love those awkward breaks? XP

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"Rachel...are you awake yet?" Rachel heard someone say. She felt a small squeeze on her hand and knew exactly who it was. Finn. Her eyes popped open, and the sight of his face so near to hers made her smile until she realized the position she was in. She was laying down. It made her very uncomfortable. Why was he this close to her? Why was she laying down? What was he trying to do to her? She jerked her hand away from his and sat up, almost running into Finn where he was sitting on the bed.

"Finn, this is unacceptable! I thought we agreed that while you were still seeing Quinn, there could be no more of us-" she said very quickly.

"Rachel, shhhh," Finn interrupted, laying her back down gently. "The nurse told me not to let you sit up for a while. You know, something about the brain."

"Nurse?" Rachel said, confused. She looked around and saw she was in the clinic. A wave of relief swept over her. So Finn wasn't trying to take advantage of her...but still...the clinic? "Why are we in the clinic? Why are you not in class?"

"Well, Mr. Shue said that his wife wasn't pregnant and you fainted. So we brought you here. 'We' being the Glee kids."

"Well, where are they now?" Rachel asked. She was perfectly fine being alone with Finn, but the others should be here, too.

"In class...but I wanted to stay here with you," he admitted, smiling awkwardly.

"Wait...you're..." Rachel said, her eyebrows coming together. "You're skipping class?" she whispered.

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone, OK? I told Quinn to tell Mrs. Simms that I checked out."

"Don't worry. You have my word." His face was so close. If she just rose up a few inches...but he seemed to read her mind. He leaned down to her face, and all thoughts of Quinn left as their lips touched. It seemed like only a fraction of a second before they heard a voice in the direction of the door.

"Didn't I tell you to keep her heartbeat down?" Ms. Crawford, the nurse, yelled at Finn. They immediately pulled away and began blushing.

Ms. Crawford walked over to the phone. "Rachel, you might need to go home. I'll give you a pass to check out. Do you want me to call your dad?"

"Actually, Ms. Crawford," Finn said, glancing at Rachel. "I don't feel that well either. I think there's something going around in my family."

Ms. Crawford turned away and Finn took the chance to look at Rachel and smile.

"Well," Ms. Crawford said, putting a cool hand on Finn's forehead. "You are pretty warm. I guess you both need to go home. I'll write you both passes." She took a pen out from behind her ear and pulled out a stack of purple hall passes, filling out one for each of them. "Now call your parents and take these to the office before you check out. Your teachers will be informed of your absence."

"Thank you, Ms. Crawford," Rachel said, getting up off the bed and following Finn out the door.

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Writers need review's too!!! Please review 'cuz the more I get, the more I give (story, that is) :0)


	4. Wanna Go Bowling?

So this chapter has the most words...exciting, huh??? LOLZ!!! :D

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They walked down the hall in silence for a few seconds before Rachel stepped closer to Finn and intertwined her fingers with his.

"Thanks, Finn," Rachel said smiling. She laughed. "I think this is the first time I've ever cut class."

"Nah, this doesn't count. You have a pass," said Finn, waving the purple piece of paper in the air. They walked down to the office, out the door, and sat down on a nearby bench before Rachel released Finn's hand.

"So," she said. "What now?"

Finn got an awkward look on his face. "Well...I guess I could take you home."

"No, I think my dads are there." Finn glanced at Rachel. What did she think he wanted to do? "I don't think they would like it very much if I came home while I was supposed to be at school. And even if I have a pass, they'll make me stay in bed for the rest of the day. They really take care of me, you know?"

"Oh." Rachel looked at Finn, who looked like he was trying to understand something; it was the same look he has in Spanish class.

"What's wrong?"

Finn sat up a little straighter on the bench and shifted to look at Rachel. "What's it like?" he asked.

"What's what like?"

"You know...having two dads..." his voice faded at the end of the sentence. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"I want to," Rachel replied, and Finn was instantly reminded of the time when he first kissed Rachel, in the auditorium. Rachel smiled. "It's honestly just like having a mom and a dad, except neither of them can help you with girl problems like...getting your period or something like that, but they understand all of it like a mom. But I'm happy for them, you know? Sure I don't have the same amount of female influence most girls have, and I knew I was different when I was little." She laughed. "I'd be at preschool and all the other kids would run up to their moms and dads when they came to pick them up, but there would be my dads with their arms around each other. And then the other kids would ask where my parents were and I'd say, 'They're right there!' And then they'd ask me where my mom was and I'd say I didn't have one because my dads were in love."

"When did you first find out that they were...you know..." Finn asked awkwardly.

"They taught me what it was when I was young. About four I think, so that I would be exposed to it at a young age and it wouldn't bother me when I got older. Plus, I grew up with an amazingly tuned gay-dar," she laughed.

Finn smiled. "So I'm assuming you're an exclusive member of the G.S.A."

Rachel was taken aback. "You know about the G.S.A.?"

"Yeah," Finn admitted. "Ever since Kurt, you know...came out...I'm his friend, so I thought I should support him."

Rachel beamed and placed her hand on his. "I'm proud of you, Finn. You've come a long way."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when you first joined Glee, it seemed a little like you were forced to. You didn't really embrace the spirit of performing. But now," Rachel stood up in front of him and took his other hand, "you're getting slushy facials like the rest of us."

Finn forced a laugh. "Yeah." There was a long pause. "You know, Rach...no one deserves a slushy facial. all that ice and corn syrup...I mean, it's be okay if you, like, drank through your face." He stopped, as if picturing someone actually drinking through their face. "But seriously, I definitely don't deserve that."

Rachel looked at her feet, still holding Finn's hands. She thought he felt the electricity flowing through them as well. But he hadn't been the first boy who couldn't, who wouldn't reciprocate her feelings. She had thought...no, she KNEW Finn was different. She could tell by the way he kissed her. It most certainly was NOT simply a stage kiss. It was real. Or so she had thought. But all Finn seemed to care about was himself.

"I don't deserve it," Finn repeated, bringing Rachel back to reality. "And neither do you." Rachel snapped her head up to look at him. "You're an awesome girl, Rach. You especially don't deserve a slushy facial. I mean, doesn't that, like, freeze your voice or something?"

Rachel smiled. So he really did care about her! She bent down to place a kiss on Finn's cheek. "Thank you," she said. Then she remembered that they still had to go somewhere to technically "skip" school. But Finn beat her to a suggestion.

"Wanna go bowling?" he asked. Rachel nodded before Finn stood up, once again towering over her, and walked hand-in-hand with Rachel to his car.

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You know my reviewing policy!! The more I get, the more I give (story, that is...)

PLEASE REVIEW!!! IT MOTIVATES ME TO GET THIS STUFF UP!!

SO I'VE DECIDED TO GIVE UP HOMEWORK....HAH! I WISH!!!


	5. Get Away From It All

As Will and Emma went their separate ways to go to their cars, Will noticed that Emma had used disinfecting wipes to clean her door handles before she got in her car. He made a mental note to do that next time. He instructed Emma to follow him to his apartment so he could get his things and then he would just follow her back to her condo.

As Will drove, he found himself looking in the rearview mirror every few seconds to make sure she was still behind him. Could he really be falling in love this soon after his divorce? No, he told himself. He wasn't in love. That was absurd. Emma was simply a friend who was trying to help him. She wasn't in love with him…was she?

Will invited Emma into his apartment, and at first she was hesitant about coming in. After all, she was going into Will's apartment. Something she'd wanted to do for over a year. She watched as he unlocked the door and stepped in. She looked around and gasped slightly. It was so…clean. Well, cleaner than she expected. For a man, at least. There were no dirty dishes on the counter; the only ones she saw were in the sink, waiting to be washed. She felt a stong urge to clean them, but they were Will's. She had no right to invade. Plus, cleaning his dishes would make her feel like a creeper.

"You can have a seat if you want," Will said, gesturing to the couch. Emma walked slowly, still in awe of the fact that she was actually in Will's apartment. Realizing that if she hadn't invited him to stay at her condo, she wouldn't have been here anyway, she wondered if he was just taking advantage of her. She had thought it would be good for Will to get away from his old apartment, away from the memories. She didn't invite him over just to be with him; she really wanted to help him. But why had he said yes? Would he have said yes if he didn't like her? He wouldn't want to stay with just a friend, right? Emma took her mind off her thoughts and noticed how soft his couch was. Too bad he couldn't bring that. As she smiled to herself, she felt Will sit down next to her. On HIS couch. In HIS APARTMENT. Her heart leaped.

"Hey, Emma, thanks again for letting me stay at your place. I just need to get away from it all, you know?"

Without looking at him, Emma replied. "Oh, it's no problem. No problem at all. I mean, it's just until you can find somewhere else. So just don't worry about it at all." It was only after her reply that she turned to face him, and she knew she was in love.

Will stared into Emma's eyes for a few seconds and Emma swore she saw his eyes glance down at her lips. He cleared his throat, breaking the silence, and rose from the couch. Emma exhaled from where she had been holding her breath, waiting for the kiss. "Well, uh, I'm almost ready to go I think," Will said. "I don't have that much stuff anymore, since I made Terri take all her crap." He laughed. Emma wasn't sure if she should laugh or not; she voted against it, simply nodding. He went back to his bedroom and returned with two suitcases.

"There's one more bag back in my room so I'll have to make another trip but you can go ahead if you want. I'll be out in a minute."

Emma's conscience was the one to speak for her this time. "Oh, no…I'll, um, I'll go get it. I don't want you to be here any longer than you should."

"Oh, thanks!" Will said, and walked out the door to his car.

Emma slowly walked in the direction Will had come from. It was a struggle to get her body to move into his bedroom. And once she got there, she saw the bag, but made no move to pick it up. _Just pick it up and get out of here!_ she told herself, but she couldn't pick up the bag. Instead, she sat down on the edge of his bed (hesitantly) and looked around. No dirty clothes on the floor, the bed was made, and as far as she could tell, he had recently dusted. She smiled.

"Did you find it?" Will asked. Emma jumped, embarrassed. How long had he been standing there?

"Oh, yeah, um, sorry. Sorry, I was just, uh, just looking around, you know. Make sure that I can handle all your messes." Will laughed and sat down next to Emma. In his bedroom…ON HIS BED.

"So, do you think you can handle it?"

Emma turned to face him. "Yes. I think I can live with you." As she spoke those last five words, they finally sunk in. She was going to be living with WILL SCHUESTER.


	6. Finn Husdon

"I still can't believe you won," Finn said as he grabbed yet another slice of pizza off the tray. Rachel laughed.

"That's only because I have a great teacher," she said, but looked down at her feet as if embarrassed.

"You know, Rach? This was a lot of fun. We should do it again. But maybe when we're not supposed to be in school." Rachel looked up inquisitively. "How about Saturday? I can come pick you up and we could go eat lunch and then come here or go see a movie or something..." His voice got more unsure with each word he spoke, and he instantly began doubting himself. He wanted Rachel more than anything, but had no idea if she felt the same way. Although he remembered her being all over him when they first met. But what did that mean?

_Stay calm; just stay calm and think fast,_ Rachel said to herself. She knew that too long of a pause would mean a "no" for sure. She racked her brain for anything that would help. She remembered a magazine she had been reading a few days ago. "Play hard to get," it had said. _Of course!_ she thought. _That'll make him want me even more!_

"Finn, I'm really sorry but right now, I'm too busy to have a boyfriend. I have my Myspace, piano lessons, voice lessons, homework, Glee, and on top of all that, I'm thinking about doing community theatre to build up my résumé. I'm sorry, Finn. I just...can't...right now." She exhaled; he had no idea how much energy refusing him had taken out of her. She looked at her watch. "We should probably be going. It's time for me to be home."

"Oh...yeah," Finn said after a pause.

The ride back to Rachel's house was silent, and Finn couldn't believe what Rachel had just done. She said...no...to HIM of all people. It wasn't like this was a pride issue; he'd gotten rejected before but...this was RACHEL...she would never refuse him if she could help it. But he figured he should just forget about her. He DID have Quinn, after all. He pulled up to Rachel's house and unlocked the car door.

Rachel inhaled and exhaled slowly. This was it. He was going to kiss her! Now was his chance. Refusing him made him want her, right?

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow..."Finn said, obviously trying to break the awkward silence that was flooding the car.

As Rachel got out of the car, she was on the verge of tears. It didn't work. Finn just thought she had refused him and now she could never have him. She wouldn't be able to take back what she had just told him. As she watched Finn drive away, she let a few tears quickly fall down her face, but quickly recovered. She had to put on a happy facade for her dads. She felt too awkward talking to them about boy troubles. She knew they were her parents and they'd both gone through it, but still...she had to handle this on her own. She made this mess and she was the only one who needed to clean it up.

"Daddy! I'm home!" Rachel yelled as she opened the door. Oddly, no one answered back. "Daddy?" She walked into the kitchen and saw a note on the refrigerator:

Rachel, Dad and I went to  
go see a show downtown.  
Be back soon!  
Daddy

Rachel ran a hand through her hair. She could have had Finn bring her home and nothing that happened at the bowling alley would have happened! Oh, well...everything happens for a reason and if she wasn't meant to be with Finn, well...then...she...would have to...TRY HARDER! She wasn't going to let Finn go! She got down her video camera from the shelf and turned it on, making sure that there was enough battery. She unfolded her tripod and set up the camera, but never started recording. What song represented the feeling she had right now? And besides, she didn't feel like letting MySpace know what she was feeling, all the problems she was having...

She turned on the computer and checked her e-mail. More comments on her MySpace videos...great. She routinely looked through them, sighing.

"Seriously...stop posting videos..."

"u suk!!"

"u nvr gonna get nywhere!!!"

Most people would let comments like this bother them, but not Rachel; she simply ignored them. Sometimes, she took these hate comments as a good thing. The more comments she received, the more people watched her video, and the better chance she had of being discovered. There was one comment, however, that stood out.

"U shud post on YouTube so I can subscribe to you cuz ur amazing :)"

Rachel clicked on it to see who it was from and almost burst into tears. It was from Finn. She slumped back in her chair, eyes watering. She had ruined it for herself. He really DID like her. It was all over. She would have to work harder to get him. She quickly printed a new sign to replace her "SECTIONALS" one. This one said...

"FINN HUDSON".

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Woo!!! I love reviews!!! The more I get, the faster the next chapter gets written and posted!!! Not too many so far!!


	7. Bucks and Does

Hey...it's Rachel, here...

Have you ever dated a magazine, Diary? Well if you have, DON'T! All the stuff they say doesn't work! Especially when the one you're trying to get isn't sharp enough to take a hint! It's the complete opposite. I think there's a reason that magazines don't date...they listen to their own advice and always get rejected. I know what you're thinking, Diary. Other people write the articles and then put them in magazines. Well, the magazines are stupid enough to believe it! They start playing hard to get and then nobody wants to buy them...so they just sit there on the shelf collecting dust and getting slushies thrown on their covers. You know what would be easier, Diary? If there were no boy/girl rules in the world and boys just told girls when they liked them, and vice versa. Then there wouldn't have to be any guessing whether someone liked you or not, and everybody would be happy!

Hey, Diary, what if Finn was a buck and Quinn and I were does(and yes, I've sunken to the level of using animals as an example)? And suppose we were all living together in harmony in the woods behind my house. Well one day, a hunter named Noah comes along and I comply to his plan to lure me to him; but before I actually fell for it, he set up a trap(intended for me) that Quinn fell into. The hunter then decided that Quinn is the one he really wants and takes her back to his house and eats her in some soup. But he didn't bother with Finn because Finn is an extremely attractive buck and Noah was jealous. Who says people can't get jealous of deer because of their amazing racks?!?! Oh...wow...that came out wrong. Sorry, Diary. Anyway, so Finn and I are the only deer left in the woods and as time goes on, they want to cut down our forest to build an over-priced restaurant chain, but someone starts a petition to stop if the deer can repopulate the forest, so Finn and I are forced to have lots of babies and bring other deer back into the forest.

Why couldn't that happen, Diary? Why can't the world simply be populated with animals? Animals don't need to worry about love. They just mate and have babies and move on. They don't have to worry about dates or marriage or any of that other stuff. And THEY don't have to rely on magazines with information that, for lack of a better word, sucks! All they have to worry about is finding a mate that year. The males simply find a female and, well, that's it. The only thing they have to deal with is fighting over a female if more than one male wants her! And...the stronger male comes out on top...he's the one that gets the girl! Then the weaker male has to find someone else and the winner doesn't have to share the female with any other male...until next year, of course, when mating season starts again...but still! All to himself! Gosh, Diary, I hope you don't mind me unloading all this on you, but you're a diary, so you're made for this kind of stuff.

Diary, I hate it when I have to use people, especially people who are my friends. But what if they've used me in the past? Then that's okay because all I'm really doing is evening out the playing field. No harm done.

I'll let you know how this goes, Diary. If I want to get Finn back before Sectionals, I have to begin storyboarding.

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A/N: It's always nice to get some insight on what characters are thinking. As I write most of my stories in the first person, this wasn't really a challenge for me. Getting into Rachel's head was the easy part. Trying to make her talk about deer so that this could actually be a legit chapter length was the hard part. Rachel's a bit boring, we know...but it gets better...don't worry. :)

And hugs and kisses to everyone who reviewed!! It makes me feel loved!! (not to mention motivated!)

Don't Stop Reviewing!!! :)


	8. Comfort Foods

YAY!!!! My longest chapter yet, at 1, 103 words!!!! It's a new record!!! So I'm doing this thing where I don't keep track of how long my chapter are...I'll just stop them when it feels right...which means longer chapters!! :) Enjoy!!

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Will followed Emma to her condo, talking to her all they way once they got out of their cars. They talked about Glee and school and Emma talked about all the things the students were going through (with a confidential promise from Will), and not one word was mentioned about Terri. Will was surprised that he was smiling so much. He hadn't smiled or laughed that much since…well…since he started dating Terri. Back in high school. Back when he loved her.

"Well, here we are," Emma said, taking out her key and unlocking the door, handing Will the small box she was carrying.

As she opened the door, Will inhaled the scent of citrus mixed with hand sanitizer. He smiled; it smelled like Emma. He wondered how he knew what she smelled like. He took his shoes off at the door even though she didn't tell him to; he figured she would do that anyway. She looked at him, surprised that he was being as clean as possible around her, before removing her own shoes.

"So where should I put my stuff?" Will asked eagerly. Emma's heart stopped. She only had one bedroom.

"Um, well…" she started.

"I don't mind sleeping on the couch…really," he said. "I've been sleeping on my couch for the week that I ended things with Terri…she took the bed so…" Emma scowled. There she was again…THAT WOMAN…

"Well, the only other place is…with me. I mean, I didn't really think about that when I offered. I forgot that I didn't have an extra room so…it's either the couch or with me…"

Will walked over to Emma and whispered huskily into her ear, "You know, as enticing as sleeping with you sounds, I think it's still a little too early for that," he laughed, winking. Emma was shocked. She had never seen this side of him before. She felt a shiver go down her spine knew she just wanted to kiss him right then and there and never stop. But she pretended that she found Will's offer of sleeping with her funny, but she was getting mental images that she prayed he couldn't see.

Emma smiled. "Well, you can put your stuff in my room…in case, uh, in case you change your mind." Will smiled and nodded, and Emma began to make hot chocolate as she watched Will go into her bedroom.

As Will closed the door and began to change into his sleepwear, he looked around the room, taking in his new environment. It was clean…really, really clean. It made his apartment look like a dump. Sitting down on the bed was done very carefully as he didn't want to mess it up…he wasn't the best bed-maker in the world. He had made his bed before, but he was certain that his best work would never live up to Emma's standards. He found the bathroom and added his yellow toothbrush to the container holding Emma's purple one. Two colors that complimented each other perfectly. He looked at himself in the mirror and frowned. He had never thought anything wrong about sleeping with his shirt off, like he did every night. But that was around Terri. He was living with Emma now. Would it bother her or make her feel uncomfortable? Well, if it did, she would certainly let him know. He put his dirty clothes back in his bag and opened the door slowly.

"Wow, Em...that smells so good," he said, walking into the kitchen to the smell of hot chocolate. First peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and now this...how was it that she knew all of his favorite comfort foods?

"Oh...thank you," Emma said. She had her back to him as she was getting the bag of marshmallows. "Hot chocolate is kind of my guilty-" She turned around mid-sentence and as soon as she saw Will, the package of marshmallows fell to the floor. "Pleasure..." she whispered, finishing her sentence. Will realized she was obviously in shock and moved to pick up the marshmallows.

They both bent down to pick them up and, as they rose at the same time, their faces were almost touching. Emma quickly backed away, blushing.

"Do you, um, always sleep with your...shirt off?" she asked, gulping.

"Yeah," Will said, feeling suddenly guilty.

Will saw Emma's eyes scan over his chest. "That's amazing," she said under he breath.

"Does it bother you? 'Cuz I could go put a shirt on or-"

"No, not at all," Emma said slowly, as if she was having trouble forming coherent words. "It was just the, uh, the initial shock, that's all."

"Oh..." He noticed that Emma still looked like a deer in the headlights, which he thought was adorable, but he was concerned. "Are you sure? It's no trouble..."

"No, don't bother. Please...keep it off..." She looked up at his face and received a raised eyebrow in return. "I mean...I don't want you to change anything just because of, just because of me, you know. I'm the one who invited you to come stay with me so..."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I just don't want to make you uncomfortable at all."

"No, Will, you're not. Don't worry, um...hot chocolate?" Emma asked, quickly trying to get over the awkwardness.

"Thanks," Will said, taking the cup and a few marshmallows. "Wow, this is REALLY good. What did you put in it?"

Emma smiled. "I actually always put in a little chocolate syrup, you know, just to make the chocolate flavor more prominent."

They drank the rest of their hot chocolate in silence. Will noticed that Emma was intentionally trying to avoid at him. Suddenly, Emma looked at the clock.

"Well, um...I'm going to turn in now, so...you know, 'cuz we both have to go to work tomorrow, so, um...yeah." She rinsed out her mug and put it in the dishwasher and Will followed suit.

"Yeah, good idea. I completely forgot about work tomorrow. Um...I could give you a ride in the morning if you want," Will said.

Emma smiled. "I'd like that. Thank you."

As Will slowly walked over to Emma, he heard her hold her breath.

"Good night, Em," he said, wrapping his arms around her. After a second or two, Will felt her small hands reciprocate the hug. They felt cool on his warm back. After what felt like too short of a time, Emma released him.

"Good night, Will," Emma said. And as she walked into her bedroom, Will laid down on the couch, grabbed the blanket from the back, and fell asleep much to quickly for his liking.

* * *

a/n: Awwwww...aren't they ah-dorable??? But after an accidental reading of spoilers for the next season...it's going to be a LOT harder to keep those spoilers from entering my story :(

However, I will try my hardest to not let my knowledge leak out....

ANYWAY...I HAVEN'T BEEN GETTING A LOT OF REVIEWS LATELY, WHICH IS OKAY. BUT JUST FOR THE RECORD...I LOVE REVIEWS!!! THEY MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A LEGIT WRITER! :) SO KEEP READING!!


	9. Could He?

I'm so sorry I haven't uploaded in soooooooo long!!!!!!!!! But I've had rehearsal and school and homework and NO time to write!! But I have time now!!!!!!! So expect more chapters up soon!! :0)

* * *

Emma woke up the next morning to the sound of running water. Will was taking a shower...in her bathroom...

"Oh, God," she whispered. Her dreams last night had been more revolved around Will than they had ever been before. Wait...Will was taking a shower, which meant that he had to walk through her room...while she was sleeping. She hoped she didn't snore.

She got up and went to make her lunch: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, as usual. She went ahead and made Will one, too. Just in case. She was so busy making and packing the lunches that she neglected to hear the water in her bathroom turn off. As she walked back towards her bedroom to get dressed, clearly not paying attention to where she was going, she ran into a once again shirtless(not to mention rather damp) Will. Emma felt like she was going to faint on the spot.

"Oh my gosh, Emma! I'm so sorry!" Will said quickly.

"No, don't...don't worry about it. At least, uh, at least you were clean," Emma laughed. She knew if Will was going to continue living with her, she would have to get over the shock of seeing him shirtless all the time. If she didn't get over it, she'd never get anywhere in this relationship...if that's what it was. "Um, I made you lunch. PB&J." She smiled, trying her hardest to concentrate on his face.

"Aw, Em, you didn't have to do that," Will said, smiling and hugging her once again. Emma quietly inhaled his scent...he smelled even better when it was fresh on his skin, not through his shirt. She smiled and released herself from his grip.

"I know," she replied, walking into her bedroom to get dressed.

While Emma was getting dressed, Will quickly searched for a small piece of paper for HIS surprise for Emma. Once he had done that, he made sure to clean his hands before carefully placing it in her lunchbox and getting dressed himself.

***********

Rachel purposefully avoided Finn as much as she could that day. It was Friday, but Mr. Schuester had scheduled and extra Glee practice to smooth out a few rough patches in their dancing. She had already contemplated not going. but she knew that would be unwise on her part. Becoming a star sometimes meant having to work with people you don't like or people that you loved but completely screwed up your chances with. Either way, she knew she had to go to rehearsal.

But that was the end of the day. she had to worry about the rest of the day first. Finn was in two of her classes, not including lunch. She had Spanish with him second period and science with him fourth period. Rachel ran a hand through her hair. This was going to be a long day.

To Rachel's relief, second period wasn't so bad. Finn sits on the other side of the room and Mr. Shue didn't pair them up for group work, thankfully. She noticed a difference in Mr. Shue's attitude, though. He seemed...happier than usual. Happier than when he was doing Acafellas, even. She was glad; a happy Mr. Schuester meant an easy rehearsal. She wouldn't have to do much with Finn.

She usually saw Finn every day on the way to fourth period, so she purposefully avoided the hallways down which she usually walked. Because of this, she was almost late to class.

"Nice for you to join us, Rachel," the teacher said sarcastically. Rachel looked around the room and her heart sank. They were doing a lab(with partners) and he only person left without a partner was Finn. She sighed and walked over to his table. He smiled at her, which she returned with a frown. He was simply putting on an act that Rachel would NOT fall for. Reluctantly, she took a seat next to him.

"Hey Rachel," he said.

"Hello," she said, a slight annoyance in her voice, not looking at Finn. She knew if she did, she would fall into his trap of those big brown eyes. She took a pencil out of her bookbag. "So what's the lab on?"

"Um...I don't actually know. I wasn't really paying attention. I was just hoping my partner would tell me..."

Rachel huffed and turned around to the group behind them to ask about the lab. Finn looked around the room until his eyes drifter toward Rachel. Why had she blown her chances with him? Did she really NOT like him? He longed just to reach out and play with her hair...it was so soft every time it came in contact with him. But he couldn't like Rachel...not in the "like like" sort of way, anyway. She was his friend. He had Quinn. That was the way it was supposed to be.

Rachel turned around in a hurry and didn't say a word to him as she finished the lab. Finn was simply left to copy her answers, which gave him plenty of time to think.

He was desperate to talk to Rachel about last night. Why had she refused his offer? Did she not find him cute anymore? He certainly thought _she_ had a hot body, and was reminded by a rather uncomfortable feeling every time he looked at her...and her short skirts. In fact, he noticed he was having that feeling right now, just thinking about her body...and that one low-cut shirt that she wore to school the other day. He thought about Quinn to get his mind off Rachel...and her butt. Who was he kidding? He couldn't leave Quinn. No...the only way he could go after Rachel is if Quinn broke up with him. But still...Quinn couldn't keep them from talking. Lunch was next period. He knew exactly where she sat, and she HAD to talk to him if he ambushed her. The bell rang and Rachel got up from her seat and was the first one out the door. She had already packed up? Why was she afraid to talk to him?

He walked into the lunchroom and scanned the tables for Rachel. He figured it would be a good idea to think about the mailman before he went to talk to her...just in case. He did so while he was getting his lunch, formulating a plan.

First, he would ask to sit down and eat lunch with her. She would ask why. He would tell her that...wait...where was she? Why wasn't she at her seat? He saw Kurt on his way to the bathroom and ran over to meet him.

"Hey! Kurt!" he called. The boy turned around immediately. Finn saw his eyes light up as soon as he saw who was calling him, but Finn habitually ignored it. "Kurt, have you seen Rachel?"

Kurt's face fell. "Oh...Rachel...right. I think I saw her leaving the cafeteria. I don't know where she was going, though."

Finn sighed. "Oh...ok...thanks Kurt. I'll see you later," he said and walked back to sit at the table with his football friends. Kurt watched him the whole way before finally going into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror wondering why Finn simply _wouldn't_ like him. And then he remembered Rachel's comment after he had tried to get Finn to not like Rachel: "If I were 2nd or if I were 50th, I'd still be ahead of you because I'm a girl!" Kurt sighed. That's right...Finn was straight. But was there time to change him? Kurt began wondering...maybe if he could show Finn how horrible girls were...could he make Finn at least consider turning...gay?


	10. X Is For Kisses

Rachel heard her stomach growl, but paid no attention to it. Sure she was hungry, but there were more important things to do than eat right now.

"Ms. Pillsbury?" she said once she reached her destination, opening the door without even knocking.

"Rachel...um, hi. Why aren't you at lunch?" Emma asked as she grabbed her own brown bag from underneath her desk.

"I really need your advice before I can put my plan into action."

"Well, Rachel, I was actually just on my way to lunch, so-"

"Can I come with you?" Rachel asked quickly. Emma was purely shocked. Why on Earth did this girl want to bother her at lunch? "I'm sorry, Ms. Pillsbury, it's just...it's really important, that's all." Emma saw a look of worry in Rachel's eyes. She sighed. She took this job to help these confused children, and she felt compelled to help Rachel.

"Okay...let's talk. Come on," Emma said, leading Rachel towards the teacher's lounge. When she got there, she saw Will watching the door, as if waiting for her. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. When Rachel appeared in the doorway next to Emma, however, Will quickly looked away.

"Hi, Mr. Shue!" Rachel said energetically as they walked to the table.

"Hey, Rachel," Will said, smiling at her.

"Hey, Emma...do you want to, uh, come grab an apple with me? This one's not...crunchy enough," he added, looking down at the apple he was already holding.

Emma nodded and smiled, noticing the PB & J sandwich she had made for him on the table (with a napkin underneath it).

"What is she doing in here?" Will whispered through his teeth once him and Emma were safely next to the fruit. "This is the _teachers'_ lounge!"

"I know, Will, but she said she really needed to talk to me about something really important and...it's my job, Will."

"But you didn't have to bring her in _here_!" Will felt his anger rising, but quickly calmed himself. This was Emma. He couldn't be mad at her. "Em, I wanted to be able to eat lunch with just you for once. There's something I have to tell you..."

"I'm sorry, Will. It'll have to wait. Right now, there's a student that needs my help. And you can tell me after school, right? I mean we ARE living together." She made sure that the last part of her sentence wasn't heard by anyone else but Will, but even so, they felt strange escaping her mouth.

"I understand, Em. It's fine," Will said, smiling.

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered, picking up an apple and handing it to Will.

They walked back o their table to find Rachel sitting patiently, looking around at the posters. Will and Emma exchanged a look of relief; she hadn't heard a word.

As Emma was taking out her sandwich, Rachel began peppering her with questions.

"Ms. Pillsbury, have you ever been in love?" Rachel asked eagerly.

Emma's eyes widened as she looked at Will, her mouth slightly open. Oh, no...how would she answer this? She couldn't say no, because that would be lying to Rachel. But if she said yes...she would have to explain. Will's eyebrows were raised and he had a smirk on his face, leaning back in his chair, waiting for her answer.

"Um...well, Rachel, love is...love is a big thing, you know? For kids your age, especially, sometime you don't really know if it's just a crush or if it really is," she looked at Will, "true love." Emma, satisfied wit her answer, took a bite of the sandwich she had unpacked while talking. will gave her an approving nod.

"But...have you ever been in ove with someone who's already taken? Someone you can't have? Someone you completely ruined your chances with?"

Emma smiled. "Rachel, I have been down that road one too many times," she said, once again taking a glance at Will, who was clearly enjoying his PB & J; there was a little peanut butter on the edge of his mouth. Emma held back a giggle by focusing her attention back on Rachel. "But Rachel, the thing with love is that you have to make sure it's the right person or it won't work out the way you want it to."

"But how do you know if it's the right person?"

"Well," Emma said, looking into Will's eyes, as if telling him that what she was about to say was about him, "you know you're in love when you look into his eyes and completely melt. You feel like you're in another world whenever you're with him, and when you're not together, it feels like a piece of your heart is missing. Whenever he touches you, you feel like you're the only thing that matters to him. You want him to be happy even if it means you're not." Emma could feel her cheeks getting redder by the second, but she didn't care...she was telling him how she felt, what she's been feeling since the day she met him. She suddenly looked at Rachel, breaking her eye contact with Will. "But it's only worth it if they feel the same way, you know? It's not so good, to, um, spend your time going after someone who doesn't feel the same way about you." Will smiled at her and licked the little bit of peanut butter off his mouth. Emma forced herself to turn away; she had to finish eating. She did so while Rachel thought about the answer she just got.

All that stuff happened when she was with Finn...except for when anyone else was around. Well, maybe just Puck and Quinn, but still. And when Finn kissed her...she felt swept off her feet. Her heart rate quickened, and she felt...she felt...loved. The love she got from her family wasn't the same kind of love she felt when she was with Finn. She didn't have many friends, and a lot of people hated, no, were jealous of her, so she got slushie facials every day. But when Finn was around and with her, whether in class or on his own accord, whenever he looked at her, she felt wanted...needed, even.

"Thanks, Ms. Pillsbury. I think I know what I need to do," Rachel said, getting up from her seat as the bell rang.

"Bye, Emma," Will said as he left; he had to go prepare for his next class. but Emma had time to stay behind and clean up her things. She had finished cleaning off the table and was about to leave when she noticed a pink sticky note on the ground. Out of curiosity, she carefully picked it up with her gloves and read:

Emma, I just wanted to let you know that I enjoy your sandwiches almost as much as I enjoy you. :)

XOXO ~Will

Emma sighed and hugged the small piece of paper close to her heart. She didn't care that it had previously touched the ground...all she cared about were those two tiny "X"s that he signed his name next to. An X meant a kiss...


	11. Sixth Sense

Rachel walked down the hall slowly. It was finally here. Glee rehearsal. The moment she had been dreading all day. She knew Finn always got there right after herself, and before anyone else, to talk to her alone. But the last thing she needed, or wanted, she wasn't sure which, was to be alone with Finn; she had waited in the bathroom long enough so that there would be more people occupying the chorus room. So they wouldn't be alone. She smiled when she saw Mercedes and Tina sitting with Mike. She saw Artie and Matt talking to the girls, waiting for Mr. Shue. And as she walked fully into the room, she saw it. Finn and Quinn in a full-on make-out session against the wall. She could feel her entire body burning with hatred. How could he still like that...pregnant Barbie? If she remembered correctly, and usually she did, HE was the one that asked HER out...last night! Did he really not care that she said no? Before anyone could see her(although there was a part of her that wanted Finn to see), she stormed out of the chorus room and into the bathroom, to cry this time.

She slid down the wall next to the sink and cried until her stomach hurt. She cried for Quinn, she cried for the baby, but mostly she cried because love was stupid. Guys were stupid. Finn was stupid! Why wouldn't he admit that he loved her? Forget the baby...heck, it probably wasn't even his! But even though it was, Finn did NOT love Quinn...she could tell by the way he looked at her. There was no love there...just pity. The only reason Finn was still with her was because of that stupid baby.

"Rachel? Are you in there?" Rachel heard a voice say, coupled with footsteps coming into the bathroom. She was relieved it was a girl from her math class and not Puck or Kurt or stupid Finn. She sniffled in response. "Oh my gosh, Rachel, what's wrong?" the girl asked.

"I can't take it anymore, Esther. I'm tired of him playing me like this!"

Esther sat down next to Rachel. "Who?"

"Finn," Rachel sighed. "I was with him last night and he asked me out and then I just saw him...I saw him...with Quinn!" She put her head in her knees and continued crying.

"Well, when he asked you out...did you say yes?"

Rachel looked up at Esther. "No," she admitted. "I thought that if I played hard-to-get, then he would want me more."

"And where did you get that idea?" Sandra asked, rolling her eyes so that her friend couldn't see.

"From those stupid teen magazines. I knew I was doing myself a favor by NOT reading them. She smiled a little bit an wiped her tears with the sleeve of her jacket.

"C'mon," Esther said, helping Rachel up. "Listen, Finn may have been with Quinn, but we BOTH know that you're his first choice."

Rachel leaned against the wall for the second time. "I dunno, Esther," she said. "My playing-hard-get didn't exactly go as planned."

Esther smiled. "Who knows? Maybe it did."

"Then why would he still be all over Quinn?"

Esther was silent for a minute. "Maybe he's doing the same thing. Maybe he's trying to make you jealous so that _you'll_ want _him_ more."

"I doubt that's possible...but do you think so?"

"Why wouldn't he? He talks about you all the time in guided study." Rachel eyes lit up. "But just please don't tell him that I was the one who told you that, ok?"

Rachel nodded. "But what should I do? I mean, how can I get Finn back?"

"Give him a taste of his own medicine," Esther said, patting Rachel on the arm and walking out of the bathroom.

Rachel walked over to the sink, splashed some water on her face, and attempted to fix most of her make-up before walking back in the direction of the chorus room. She could hear them discussing her absence, so she quietly waited by the door, eavesdropping.

"I saw her at school today."

"Yeah, she was my lab partner in science today," she could hear Finn saying. "I hope she's okay. Maybe I should call her." Rachel's heart leapt. So he really did care about her! she walked rather quickly into the room in her typical Rachel fashion, trying not to look suspicious.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to talk to my teacher," she said, putting her things down in her usual chair, whichever chair was next to the one Finn had chosen that day.

"Well, Mr. Shue's not even here yet," Mercedes informed her.

"Oh," Rachel said, smiling. This was good. She could start her plan earlier than predicted. She noticed Puck sitting by himself. It was perfect. "Hey Noah," she said, sitting down next to him. He looked back at her with a slight glare.

"What?" he asked sharply. Rachel had to admit that she and Noah hadn't been the best of friends ever since he found out that Rachel had only used him to make Finn jealous. But this was different...she was trying to lure Quinn out of the way instead.

"Um...I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to come over and rehearse sometime."

"No," Puck said, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.

Rachel's eyes narrowed as she leaned in closer to him. "Look, I need to talk to you," she whispered forcefully. "If you want Quinn as much as you act like you do, then you need to come over."

Puck sat back in his chair and looked behind Rachel at Quinn. Their eyes met for a second, but Quinn looked away quickly. "I don't want her," Puck said.

Rachel shook her head slowly. "Stop lying to me, Noah. Stop lying to yourself. I know you love her. And right now, with the baby, she needs someone who can support her. And as much as I hate to say it, Finn's not exactly having the best luck in the money department." Puck scoffed. That was Finn's problem, not his.

"So why should I care? She's the one that told him it was his kid..." Puck immediately stopped. Big mistake.

"It's not Finn's?"

"Well, yeah, it is, but she could have broken up with him when she found out that she had one coming. She could've come to me. I have a job. I could support her. But no...she loves that idiot too much."

"No, she doesn't," Rachel said, putting a cool hand on Puck's warm arm. "Quinn loves you, Noah."

"Yeah right."

Rachel exhaled. "Look, Noah. I love Finn, okay? You love Quinn. He's making me jealous so I have to give him a taste of his own medicine."

"So...pretty much just like last time?"

"Not exactly...this time, you'll benefit from it, too!" Rachel said, smiling. "You'll get Quinn!"

"And you'll get Finn and we'll all live happily ever after?"

"Exactly! You and Quinn can raise the baby, even though it's Finn's, and Finn and I can do the same. Well, after we get married of course."

Puck snickered. "And how do you know this is definitely going to work?"

Rachel looked around the room cautiously before speaking. "Did I ever tell you about my sixth sense?"


End file.
